


Trouble is a Friend

by Pawprinter



Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Season 3 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-28 05:17:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21131282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pawprinter/pseuds/Pawprinter
Summary: When someone makes a post on the 'take notice' board, Anne and Gilbert are forced to have a difficult conversation.or: someone calls Anne and Gilbert out on theirvery obviousheart-eyes during dance practice.





	Trouble is a Friend

**Author's Note:**

> The title of the fic is based off a song of the same name by Lenka. It's been my favourite song since 2008, so it's about time I used it.
> 
> This fic contains spoilers for Anne with an E season 3 (specifically episode 5).
> 
> Enjoy!

Anne was  _ not  _ avoiding Gilbert.

She wasn’t. 

Truly.

It just so happened that, whenever they were in the same room, something urgent came up and she had to excuse herself. Like doubling checking her milk was fully submerged in the creek, or making sure that her coat hadn’t fallen to the ground, or seeing if Ms. Stacy could use an extra set of hands.

Really — she wasn’t avoiding Gilbert because, if she was, that meant there was a reason why. She refused to entertain that thought.

_ It was just a dance. _

_ Between friends. _

_ For class. _

If she was avoiding Gilbert because of the dance, that meant she was acknowledging it wasn’t as simple as that. Two  _ friends _ didn’t avoid each other because they practiced dancing for the fair — Diana wasn’t avoiding Charlie, after all.

(Then why was she avoiding Gilbert?)

(...)

(Not!)

(**_Not_** avoiding Gilbert.)

This was how she found herself at her desk long after school ended, a book about Scotland propped open in front of her. The  **not-** Gilbert related confusion in her life was not going to draw her away from her search for her heritage.

She breezed through the next three chapters in hopes everyone (including a certain someone) would leave before she did. Reading had always been her escape and it seemed she mastered the skill to close off the rest of the world as she soaked in the words from the page. The world was seemingly insignificant compared to the marvellous pictures being painted in her mind, the words seemingly came to life in her mind, the pages—

“Anne!”

She startled when a hand brushed against her shoulder, jolting her back to reality. Diana leaned across the table in front of her, pushing the book out of the way and grabbing Anne’s hands. A laughed bubbled from her lips — Diana’s excitement was contagious.

“Diana, you’re—”

“No time. Someone made a posting about you.” Diana’s eyes were wide and, for the first time, Anne realized they were wide with surprise and... concern? 

Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. What could someone have said that would make Diana react like this?

“I— What?” Anne stood up hastily, her seat scraping against the floor. Diana tugged on Anne’s hands, pulling her in the direction of the front door. She hesitated for a moment, a countless number of thoughts filling her head — and then they were off.

They rushed out of the school without another word, Diana pulling her all the way. They rounded the bend, and—

“Anne?”

She grew stiff, her feet rooting to the ground. Gilbert stood mere feet away from her, his eyes wide and eyebrows furrowed. 

Something was wrong. 

Anne had seen all sides of Gilbert over the years — the annoyed, the frustrated, the heart broken, the stressed, the terrified, the happy. She  _ knew  _ Gilbert, sometimes better than she knew herself.

And, right now, she knew he was upset. And panicked, maybe? It was unnerving.

Diana tugged on her arm, breaking her from her stupor. She pulled her the remaining distance to the ‘take notice’ board, and it took all of her strength to shift her gaze from Gilbert to the pieces of paper.

Her eyes danced across the weather-worn pieces of paper, searching for what Diana was talking about. Finally, she reached up and pointed to a paper dead centre. Unlike the other ones, this one was crisp and, unfortunately, clear.

_ Anne Shirley-Cuthbert and Gilbert Blythe shared intimate romantic gazes during dance practice. _

The first thing Anne felt was shock, closely followed by dread. Dread — it felt like cold boney hands, reaching into her chest, pulling on her heart. A crushing weight settled on her shoulders, stealing her breath.

_ Oh no. _

No, no, no, no, no—

Her heart was pounding in her chest and her hands grew sweaty. Anne  _ swore  _ her cheeks were flushing from spending too much time under the sun, but, really, she just got outside. 

Anne didn’t know why this notice posting was so different from the others. Several notes were scattered across the board about her, but she never paid them much attention before. They were harmless! But this?

This was  _ not  _ harmless.

The other postings were fun because nothing was serious. The difference here was the fact  _ this was serious. _

_ So, very serious. _

This was about her and Gilbert, and that was crossing the line from fun and playful to something  _ real _ . 

The truth of the matter was that, yes, maybe she  _ had  _ been avoiding Gilbert earlier that day. 

And, yes, it was because things weren’t as simple as she hoped it would be. It wasn’t just a dance between two friends. It was a dance between her and  _ Gilbert Blythe _ .

(Gilbert Blythe — the same person that managed to make her heart flutter when she looked at him — the same person that helped bring out the best pieces of herself — the same person that she  _ very recently  _ realized she had a massive, massive crush on.)

Anne was aware of two pairs of eyes on her face, and she fought to maintain composure. She tightened her jaw and lifted her chin, trying her best to conceal her true emotions.

(Because, if she was being honest, her true emotions scared her.)

“Anne,” Gilbert tried again, his voice hoarse. Her eyes flicked to his. Her throat tightened. He sounded so unsure, so hesitant. “Did you… Did  _ you  _ post this?”

If she wasn’t blushing before, she sure was after that.

Her mouth dropped open and she stumbled over her words. “I— I— What!? No. No, absolutely not!” 

Anne felt like she was going to die of embarrassment right then and there. Gilbert was looking at her with an expression she didn’t recognize, Diana looked like she just witnessed a crime, and she  _ her stupid face was not cooperating!! _

Before things could get worse (and Anne  _ knew  _ they were going to get worse), she turned to Diana, her lips pressed thinly together. “Can we have a minute?”

She blinked. “You and I?”

Anne wanted to scream. “Uh, no. Sorry. I meant Gilbert. With me.” She could see the confusion on Gilbert’s expression intensify out of the corner of her eye. She refused to glance in his direction. “Please, Diana?”

She hesitated. “Are you sure?”

Anne tried to convey just how sure she was with a pointed stare. Diana’s eyebrows rose the slightest bit in understanding.

“I’m sure. I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”

Diana was reluctant, but she bid farewell and began her journey home, leaving Anne alone with Gilbert. 

Well, at least there wasn’t going to be an audience for this beastly conversation.

Silence.

One beat.

Two beats.

Three beats—

Anne spun to him, the momentum of her turn making her braid slap against her cheek. Her tongue felt twisted, and she felt like she would be unable to get any words out of it even if she wanted to. 

It was all made worse when she finally looked at his face.

He looked horrified — truly horrified. She doubted he ever looked so frantic in front of her before. His eyes were wide and jaw locked. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, as if he was preparing to run.

(Maybe  _ she  _ should run.)

For the first time in her life, Gilbert looked at a loss for words.

Anne tried to pretend her heart wasn’t aching with this. It was harder than she thought. Hurt blossomed in her chest, squeezing her heart, constricting her throat.

Why did it hurt so bad to see exactly how uninterested he was in her? It wasn’t like this came as a surprise! He was  _ Gilbert,  _ and they were friends. Over the years, he made it very clear that he was happy with their friendship.

( _ Just _ their  _ friendship _ .)

But seeing him look so horrified at the posting that brought up them sharing romantic gazes? That hurt. He thoroughly looked disgusted by the thought of being romantically interested in her.

She lifted her chin and forged ahead. This situation wasn’t going to get any better by staring at him.

“I didn’t post this,” she promised him, her voice strong. “We both know that isn’t my handwriting.”

Gilbert’s eyes flicked back to the note. His lips twitched as he read the words over again. Anne’s heart plummeted.

“It wasn’t you.” He turned back to her. “It wasn’t me either, let me assure you.”

Anne shifted uneasily. She wasn’t sure what to say to make this situation better. “It must’ve been written by someone who thought it was funny. Besides, half of the notices are also  _ clearly  _ false. This one just… fits right in.”

“Well, even so, everyone will this it’s true.”

Anne  _ knew  _ she shouldn’t have felt so hurt by his words, but she couldn’t ignore the pang of pain from her heart. She clenched her jaw so tight that she was worried for her teeth.

Finally, after a long moment of silence, she spoke.

“And what’s so bad about that?”

She regretted it as soon as she said it. She should’ve agreed with him. She should’ve told him how awful it was. She should’ve promised him that the posting wasn’t remotely true, and never would be.

_ But she didn’t. _

This was getting too close to the feeling category. Panic descended on her.

Gilbert’s gaze snapped to hers, looking owlishly. “What?”

“Ugh. Never mind. Forget I said anything.” Her words came out like venom. She didn’t wait to see how he reacted to the sudden shift.

Anne promptly turned and began to stalk away. Her hands were curled into fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. Her face was flashed, her heart racing, her chest aching. She wished she never opened her big mouth because now Gilbert was going to think she  _ wanted  _ the posting to be true.

(Which was the truth.)

_ (She wanted this posting to be so very true.) _

“Anne!” 

Gilbert lunged after her, catching her hand before she could get too far away. His touch alone made her freeze up. She was reminded of the dance, when it felt like neither of them wanted to let go of the other. She was tempted to snatch her hand out of his just to prove everything was false.

“I don’t understand.” Gilbert didn’t drop her hand either. “What’s so bad about what?”

Anne wasn’t sure where the confidence came from — maybe it was because the hurt was desperate to get out — but she answered truthfully. 

“I asked you what was so bad about everyone thinking we are together — that we are interested in each other like that?” The words were hard to get out of her mouth. She felt sick from fear. “I said forget it because it’s stupid.” She ripped her hand away from his. “Clearly I’m so unattractive that the thought of  _ us _ disgusts you, even when it is false.”

Gilbert looked like he had been punched in the gut. His lips were parted and his eyes large.

The confidence she found earlier drained away quickly, leaving hurt to take its place. One thing Anne learned in her life was that when someone didn’t want to show hurt, they hid behind anger.

She lifted her chin and glared at him. “If that’s all?”

Without waiting for an answer, she turned and continued on the journey home.

(Her heart only hurt a little bit when she didn’t feel his hand pulling on hers again.)

Anne made it further than before. She was already starting down the path leading away from school when he called out for her again.

“Wait!” She didn’t wait. Gilbert had to jog to catch up to her brisk pace. “Wait, Anne, what—”

“I said forget it, okay? So… forget it!”

She was half tempted to turn around and say something that would make it  _ clear  _ she was  _ not. interested. in. him.  _ ‘I can’t stand you’ seemed to be the best thing her brain could come up with in that moment, but luckily, she never got a chance to speak.

“You, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert are not unattractive.” 

She nearly fell face first into the ditch.

Anne turned to him, her mouth open and mind blank. He looked nervous — extremely so — but there was a determination in his eyes that she’d witnessed only a few times before.

“You... you think I’m attractive?”

Gilbert’s eyes widened, like he hadn’t expected her to question him. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no sound came out.

Anne was beginning to wonder why she asked him. Clearly, he only said those words earlier because implying otherwise would’ve been rude.

Besides, why did she care anyway? It was Gilbert Blythe, not her future husband.

Blood rushed to her face at that.

Just as she was about to turn away from him, he laughed. It wasn’t one filled with cruelty — a laugh that she heard so often before coming to Avonlea — rather, it was one that was filled with so much warmth that it made her heart melt. 

“Of course, Anne. You’re... beautiful.” He was looking at her oddly, and it made her heart rate quicken even more. “Take your hair, for instance. It reminds me of the sun — so bright, and warm.”

“You called the colour ‘carrot’ before, if I remember correctly.”

“You still remember that?” he laughed. She couldn’t help but grin back at him. She  _ did  _ remember that — and she also remembered the resounding slap her slate made against his face. “Clearly, I hadn’t seen a carrot before making that comparison. Besides, I thought you were pretty back then, too.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“Ask anyone — it wasn’t a secret. I told everyone the first day we met that you were pretty.” 

(She tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach and the giddiness bubbling up inside of her.)

(It was a failing project.)

For a long moment, they stared at each other, unsure of what to say. During the silence, she worked up enough courage to speak what was on her mind. 

“And still, the idea of… of the notice being true — or even people _thinking _it is true — disgusts you,” she pointed out. The rush of joy she felt moments earlier dropped off quickly when she remembered his horror at the notice board.

She couldn’t read Gilbert’s expression again. His gaze danced along her face, drinking in the details. Anne got caught up in the way the sun caught his eyes and the way the wind blew a single curl against his forehead.

He looked away for a moment. His jaw tightened.

“The idea of courting you —  _ of being with you _ — doesn’t disgust me.” His words were slow, like he was evaluating each one before he spoke. His expression was soft, and it took her breath away. “What disgusts me is people’s ability to lie and make up false stories about other people. It’s horrible. One day, it’s about two people that are interested in each other; the next, it’s something malicious. Once the gossip starts, it’s hard to get it to stop.”

Anne picked up on his earlier words. “Interested in each other?” she echoed, her heart banging against her rib cage. 

Gilbert must’ve realized his choice of words. His eyebrows flew up and he pursed his lips. “Well... yes. That’s what the notice says, is it not?”

Her heart fell. For a moment, she thought he was admitting something to her — admitting that her feelings for him weren’t one-sided.

“Oh. Right.” Anne chewed on her lip. “That is what it says.”

Silence consumed them.

It was awkward.

Anne wanted to sink into the ground, or maybe disappear into the darkness, or — even better — just vanish right there.

Gilbert smiled. “So… we’re good, right?”

It was hard not to smile with him looking at her like that. “We’re good.” 

And that was the truth. 

Whoever posted the notice on the board about them must’ve thought they were being clever, but that impacted him as much as it impacted her. With Gilbert clarifying he was horrified by people spreading rumours about them — and not horrified by the idea of being romantically involved with her — she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. The hurt in her heart eased.

Yeah. They were going to be okay.

She glanced at the horizon, where the sun was already starting to hang low in the sky. Marilla was going to  _ kill  _ her for coming home so late.

They locked eyes. “I need to get home,” she said after a moment. “Uh. Thank you, though, for… you know.”

The corners of his lips quirked up. “You know.”

Anne wasn’t sure why she couldn’t say goodbye to him like a normal human being, but there she was, standing inches away from him, her eyes refusing to leave his. It felt like they were sharing something special in that moment — something more precious than simple words or ‘intimate romantic gazes,’ as the notice so eloquently put it.

_ She really did need to go though. _

Anne took a step backwards, ending the moment. She could feel Gilbert’s eyes on her as she turned and continued back down the path.

Ten seconds passed before he spoke again.

“And Anne?” She turned back to face him. “You know… It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if the take notice posting was true.” He lifted his eyebrows. “I think I’d be okay with, uh, ‘intimate romantic gazes’ — as long as it was with you.”

Anne laughed brightly. Her smile was so wide it hurt her cheeks.

“You know, I think I’d be okay with that, too.”

_ It was a lie.  _

Anne knew she’d  _ definitely  _ be okay with that.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Comments and kudos are appreciated!!
> 
> [Find me on Tumblr!](https://pawprinterfanfic.tumblr.com)  
You can find the moodboard for this fic [here](https://pawprinterfanfic.tumblr.com/post/188511359122/trouble-is-a-friend)!


End file.
